Nord User Forum

[blastula]

i've heard complaints about the piano sounds on the electro, but raves about the piano sounds on the stage...

i know the electro cant use the large versions, no string resonance, etc....but even the small versions sound pretty decent to me on the stage

is there any reason the same samples (say, for example, the small version of studio grand 1) would sound different on the 2 boards?

i read where someone was saying you can hear the damping of the tines on the rhodes upon key release on the stage but not on the electro...

(my situation is i'm test driving a stage ex, but considering trading down for an electro 3)

thoughts?

thanks!
rob

[Cbas]

Hello and welcome to the forum :)

The Stage EX and the Electro 3 can use the same piano samples but the difference in sound is:
String resonance and more piano-memory for the stage ex allowing bigger samples. (as you mentioned)

And the only other difference for the sound would be the keybed. Samples can seem different when playing on different keybeds.
I'm talking mostly about the difference between the weighted stage action and the semiweighted electro/(stage compact)
The stage compact has the same keys as the electro, but has aftertouch which makes it seem a bit different(tighter at the bottom).

The damper sounds for the Rhodes are the same for both stage ex and electro 3 as they use the same samples. Maybe some of the things you read, are a comparison of the Stage and the Electro 2. I know that the electro 2 didn't really have the damper sounds on the Rhodes as the Stage and the Electro 3 has.

You should just think about what needs you have for the keyboard, and how much money you are willing to spend. You could also wait a month and buy a Stage 2 if you want.

The differences between the Electro 3 and the Stage EX are as follows:

Electro 3:
Good:
Is alot cheaper
Has better organ (C1)
Has samples from Nords sample library
Has a sweepable mid-EQ effect.
Weighs less (though compact and electro 3 73 weighs the same)

Bad:
Is only mono-timbral (can only play one sound at a time)(can play a split organ though)
Has no Synth-section
Ect.

Good/Bad depending on preference:
Semi-weighted organ-style keys

Stage EX:
Good:
More Piano-memory
String resonance
Synth-section
6x multitimbral (2x organ, 2xPiano, 2x synth)
Can split and layer the six sounds across the board in up to 3 splits.
Better program display where you can name programs and more.
Has morph function to alter different controls easily.
Has pitchbender+ModWheel+Aftertouch
Has an Extern-Section
Has amount knobs for effects
Has a delay effect with tap-tempo
Ect.

Bad:
More expensive
Has worse Organ (Electro 2)
No samples from Nord Sample Library
Weighs more (if 88 or 76)

Good/Bad depending on preference:
88 and 76 have weighted action keys
Compact has almost the same key-action as the Electro

Stage 2:
The Stage 2 is better than both the Electro 3 and the Stage EX in every way, but it is also really expensive, and it is not released for at least a month (depends on model).

Hope this was helpful.

PS. There might be a few more differences I forgot, but it should be minor details.

[blastula]

extremely helpful. thanks!

the one thing i decided was that the weighted keyboard is not right for me.
and it seems the wait for the stage 2 compact could be quite a while....who knows?

so i guess my choice if i dont want to play the waiting game:
piano resonance and synth section (don't really need it)
vs
sample library (!) but no piano resonance (!)

rrrrrr...

[Cbas]

Glad to help :)

Yeah. I personally prefer the semi-weighted keys. That also means I get a light-weight keyboard that I can take with me in train and bus.
But it's a matter of preference.

Right now it seems that the Stage 2 compact will arrive in April/May. It might be delayed, who knows. But if you can wait that long and spend that money, the Stage 2 will be the ultimate keyboard.

Otherwise yes, then you have the choice of the Electro 3 and the Stage EX.

Personally, if you don't need the synth-section (as you said), and also don't need the splits/layers, then I really think you should buy the Electro 3. It is less money, has a much better organ, and has the Sample library.

Don't buy the Stage EX for the string resonance in my opinion. Remember that it only affects the pedal-up-samples. When the sustain-pedal is down you still get string resonance on the Electro 3. It's only when you are not using the pedal, and hold down some keys. Then new keys that relate harmonically will resonate when played. So it's actually not a big deal imo. I also only think it works on pianos and not rhodes, but I'm not 100% sure on that.
If you could try the Stage EX in a store, you can turn the String resonance on and of on a button, so that you can compare the sounds, and decide if it's important.

For me it's the choice of the: 1. synth-section, more piano-memory and splits/layers vs. 2. less money, better organ and samples.

So in your case I would say buy the Electro 3.
In my own case: I could not go without the synth and splits/layers, so I need the stage.

You could wait for the Stage 2 to get it all and more, but it is very expensive, and you will have to wait 2-3 months.

It's all your own choice of course :) I know how difficult it can be to choose.

[blastula]

It's funny, now that I really hear what the string resonance is doing...without it there is silence between staccato chords, with it you hear the piano ring as it naturally would. It's one of those things you can either not focus on or it can become a big deal to you. That's where I'm at.
Thanks for your help and understanding. :)

[Cbas]

No problem. I see what you mean. I definitly think string resonance is nice, but it would not be a deal-breaker for me.
I also understand that things can matter more (or less) for other people :)

Let me know if you have more questions, and what keyboard you decide to get.

Have fun.

[blastula]

Your advice makes all kinds of sense: the electro it is!

The only thing that is still a bit confusing to me is that the electro users on the forum seem quite Unhappy with the acoustic pianos, while the stage users think they are the best piano samples on the market....

[Cbas]

I'm glad. But you should still make sure that you choose the keyboard YOU want, and not just because I said so :)

Yes that is strange, because they use exactly the same samples.
Maybe it is because of the keybed, or maybe some of them are talking about the Electro 2, idk.
But the only difference, should be the String resonance and the keybed.

The best thing would be if you could try the keyboards out in a store. (But then again, the keyboards might not be loaded, with the newest/biggest samples.)

Have fun.